Marathon running on NoS?

orangemeg · Post by **orangemeg** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:14 pm

I just started NoS this week, so my primary concern right now is just sticking with it.

But I also have a less-urgent concern...

I'd like to run my first marathon sometime next year. I'd just do it to finish, not to run fast, so I'd probably do just one really long run per week, and that would be on Sunday, so I could eat as much as I needed before/during/after it.

However, when I was training for my half, I was sometimes really, really hungry for days after my longer training runs. (And those 12-milers were a lot shorter than the 20-milers I'd like to work up to before the marathon.) I ate plenty before/during/after those runs...so I'm not sure why that was happening.

Has anyone in here trained for and completed a marathon on NoS? And if so...did you encounter these problems? How did you handle it?

ou812 · Post by **ou812** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 12:40 am

I have done a lot of running over the years and don't think it should be much of a problem if you eat enough during those meal times. I think that some people in other parts of the world work harder than we do, on less calories a day. Not ideal, but I sometimes think that Americans think they are starving when they experience hunger.

marygrace · Post by **marygrace** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:44 am

A lot of people on this board have mentioned that nowhere in NoS does it actually specify that you must have *three* meals a day. The idea is that you have a set number of meals a day to create a structure and have a concrete idea of how much food is going in your mouth. With that said, its perfectly legitimate to designate a fourth meal. Maybe it could specifically be a running meal that you eat before or after the run.

I've been on NoS since August and have been running the entire time (though not training for a marathon.) I'm in college so I have the option of eating breakfast, waiting around a while, and then running, then having lunch a few hours after that so running-related hunger isn't usually a problem. I've found though on days that I don't have a lot of time and have to run first thing in the morning that I need to have something in my stomach otherwise I'm really lightheaded. It makes sense... if you haven't eaten since 7 or 7:30 the night before, you're not going to have the stamina to go for a run 12 hours later. So on days like that I will definitely eat something small like a piece of bread with peanut butter or some dried fruit before the run. Some people might consider it a snack, but its not something that de-rails my eating and it greatly improves the quality of my run.

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:11 pm

I would practice carbo loading (w/ protein) the day before and morning of your training run.

PDR · Post by **PDR** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 3:16 pm

There are two things I'll tell you concerning marathons and NoS.

The first thing is that it is entirely possible to do it.

The second thing is much more complicated, but it should make sense:
Don't automatically switch to 4 meals/day. That's dumb. What you should do is pay attention to your body's signals. The best signal to look for to tell you when you need to add a pre-run meal is that odd ammonia smell deep in your nasal passages and (sometimes) the back of your throat. This is a sign that you're burning amino acids, a.k.a. muscle tissue.
I've always done my runs before breakfast, on an empty stomach. I didn't need a pre-run meal until I was into 12-mile runs consistently. That's when I start drinking a glass of milk and one packet of Carnation instant breakfast. It provides enough carbs to get me to the end of the run without going catabolic.
This is just my experience, so take it for what it's worth.

KAxelrod · Post by **KAxelrod** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:01 am

And, here's my 2 cents on No S and Marathons.

I've been "doing" marathons (combination of walk/race-walk/run), and No S. My training days are S days (even if they're not on a weekend). Sometimes, I do find that I'm hungrier for a few days after the long training or the marathon. I've managed to stick to N day rules on those days, and just live through the hunger (or drink milk and have bigger platefuls at mealtime). I think my body does need the extra calories on training/marathon days, but the days after, I think I can get by fine with an N-day approach to things. Maybe it's different if you're actually running the whole marathon, as opposed to what I do, but this seems to work for me.

resident0063 · Post by **resident0063** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:24 pm

Marathon training works with NoS with limitations. If you are not training at an extremely elite level, you do not have to do runs that require extra calories/carbs more than one day a week. That one day is your long run which is the base for the marathon. You would run shorter runs two to four days of the week. It would probably be best if you have your long run on an S day. Give yourself permission to fuel up after the run and whatever else you need to get through the run. Follow NoS during the rest of the week. RunnersWorld has an excellent three day a week running program for marathons. One Long run, two shorter speed oriented runs, and cross training the rest of the week. Their logic is that many overtrain for a marathon. Many people also gain weight during a marathon training season because they use their running as a license to eat a lot more. NoS could be a great step to stopping that. Good luck with your marathon.